Reviews tagging 'Fire/Fire injury'

Sorrowland by Rivers Solomon

29 reviews

martinatan's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

An incredibly crafted modern gothic story. This blended important topics and radical themes that I have been captivated by for a long time, and to see them captured in a blend of the gothic, speculative fiction, and Afrofuturist genres is absolutely breathtaking. The exploration of queer love and flawed family is a powerful throughline that really shines in a world where the protagonist could easily give in to the sheer despair of a heartless culture.

Some works of media that I felt this story lives in kinship with:
- Beloved by Toni Morrison, for its part-tender, part-visceral prose and handling of generational trauma and haunting
- The art of Firelei Baez and Wangechi Mutu, for their beautiful blend of human and inhuman, exploring symbiotic and antagonistic relationships between humans and the natural world
- Jordan Peele’s film Nope, in that it provides a uniquely Black perspective on the American attraction to spectacle and exploitation, and for the horror/sci-fi elements
- Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro, for themes of hindsight and memory of an institution after you’ve escaped it

Of course, this is not to say that Sorrowland borrows too much from other works—on the contrary, it is a masterpiece of its own that will make you think differently not just about our country’s history of medical exploitation of Black people, but also the boundaries between different genres, the capabilities of the body under immense pressure, and our relationship to nature and society.

I would be so excited to analyze this book in a university setting and I hope it can be regarded as a rich and provocative text for a variety of disciplines: Race and Colonialism Studies, Gender and Sexuality, History, Creative Fiction, etc.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror and Sexual content

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Death, Genocide, Homophobia, Racism, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Stalking, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Lesbophobia, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Colonisation

strange_little_ranger's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Cannibalism, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Cultural appropriation, Alcohol, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail

lilifane's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I had no idea what I was getting into when I started reading the book. Usually I know at least a little bit of the plot or have some vague idea what it might be about. But this time I knew nothing. And I have to say, it's not a book I would usually pick up, but I flew through it, and I'm glad I read it. 

It's a story about Vern, who is raised in an isolated cult community. After she is forced to marry the reverend and gets pregnant, she flees the compound and tries to survive on her own.

It's a very raw and gritty story, with fantastical and horror elements. I really liked the writing, even though the graphic violence, gore, body horror and visceral descriptions were not my favorite thing. Although, they created a great atmosphere that fit the story. 

I was surprised how mysterious and introspective the story was while still being a page turner full of action. Important themes like racism, misogyny, religion, identity, belonging, motherhood and queerness were very prevalent in the book. I especially enjoyed the found family trope and the survival aspect of the story (please be aware that animals are harmed and eaten, though) as well as the diversity. There are queer, intersex and disabled characters and the protagonist is all of it combined. Vern is a very flawed but also resilient character, I loved her and was rooting for her. The character development is amazing, as well as the relationships and their development. And I absolutely adored Howling and Feral! 

I had some issues with parts of the plot and the pacing, but in the end everything fit so well together, and I was not expecting to like the ending as much as I did. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Outing, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Alcoholism, Cancer, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol

dazzle_spider_reader_1212's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual content, Blood, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Confinement, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, and Cannibalism

penofpossibilities's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

GOD i did NOT heed the trigger warnings and I honestly don't even have an excuse like I knew this was a horror novel and still picked it up. don't make my mistake and please be safe. Anyway this BOOK!!!! /pos
absolute fucking masterpiece

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Self harm, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Cannibalism, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Addiction, Drug use, Rape, Excrement, Vomit, Medical content, Trafficking, and Cultural appropriation

Minor: Cancer, Infertility, Racial slurs, Suicide, Terminal illness, and Transphobia

graphic: cult

matcha_cat's review against another edition

dark mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Sexual content, Violence, and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Death, Gun violence, Homophobia, Racism, Self harm, Medical content, Stalking, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Child death, Gore, Suicide, and Blood

melliedm's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Homophobia, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Police brutality, Medical content, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Child abuse, Confinement, Hate crime, Slavery, Police brutality, Car accident, and Colonisation

parkerluck's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

I loved the plot and the characters, especially everything with Vern and her children. The prose was lovely, although occasionally a bit... overbearing?  But once I adjusted to it it was easy to move with. 

I did find the 3rd part to be a little scattered/rushed. Too many side characters introduced that only seemed to exist as a vehicle for the author to pontificate (the hunters/motel women). The ideas weren't bad, but they felt out of place, especially since those themes could have been addressed a little more naturally when Vern was making her way through the world earlier. The denouement action also felt a little tacked on after we had spent so much time immersed in the rest of the story. 

Overall, really good though! I'll definitely be thinking about this book for awhile, and it filled a gap I was looking for. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Body horror, Homophobia, Racism, Medical trauma, Murder, and Pregnancy

Minor: Domestic abuse, Drug use, Pedophilia, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, and Transphobia

A lot of warnings on this and it does deal with quite heavy subject matter. There are no graphic descriptions of rape/abuse, as all of this content happens off screen.

cemeterygay's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes

5.0

It is a beautifully complicated look into both surviving a cult and government infiltration into black radical movements and the real impacts this has into their survivors by following Vern's journey as both a person and mother. While a deeply heavy read between the commentary and beautiful prose, I could not recommend this book enough.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Body shaming, Fatphobia, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Racism, Self harm, Suicide, Torture, Transphobia, Blood, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol

Additional CW: Hallucinations, non-consensual drugging, forced sterilization, teen pregnancy, graphic childbirth, death of a child (and infant), drowning, poisoning, cult.

nodogsonthemoon's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Body horror, Death, Gore, Racism, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicide, Blood, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Genocide, Gun violence, Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Religious bigotry, Lesbophobia, and Colonisation